The Beloved as Absent Center

Mirabai structured her entire spiritual and creative life around Krishna—a beloved she could not possess, who was always absent yet utterly central. This paradox sustained rather than destroyed her. For those anticipating civilizational collapse, the 'beloved' might be a livable climate, thriving ecosystems, or justice—realities that are increasingly unreachable yet remain worth organizing our devotion around. This is not denial but a mature spiritual practice: acknowledging that what we love may not be available in the form we want, yet continuing to direct our attention, creativity, and action toward it. The absent center need not paralyze us; it can orient us, much as the moon pulls the tides though it cannot touch the ocean.